A game-changer

Leaders for Premier Health and Wright State University are taking their longstanding relationship to the next level with an alliance that will benefit the Dayton region for at least another three decades.

Sessions between key leaders who met weekly for more than a year generated a proposal for an enhanced affiliation that is being referred to as a regional game changer. The two organizations are aiming for a transformative impact, with an agreement that highlights a shared commitment to excellence in education, workforce and economic development, research, clinical program development, and community health. It will also improve the Dayton region’s access to state-of-the-art medical care.

“This new affiliation agreement is a game-changer for the Dayton region,” said Wright State University President Sue Edwards, Ph.D. “It not only continues and improves the delivery of excellent medical care to residents of the region by expanding the accessibility of a wider array of medical care closer to home, but it also offers increased training and learning opportunities for our nursing, public health and medical students and medical school residents.”

The partnership prioritizes producing more clinicians, nurses, and other health care providers; spurring research opportunities; and providing patients with better access to vital medical care close to home.

“The level of trust, excitement, and depth in the relationship between senior leaders of both institutions has been striking to me,” said Michael C. Riordan, Premier Health president and CEO. “From the beginning, we’ve recognized that this affiliation can be transformative for both institutions. There’s just tremendous potential here to bolster our workforce and the future of health care in the region.”

Nationally, the country is facing a shortage of physicians and nurses. The Association of American Medical Colleges projects a shortage of 20,200 to 40,400 primary care doctors by 2036. This could lead to many Americans losing out on the benefits of primary care.

Senior leaders for Premier Health and Wright State are doing their part to grow the medical workforce on a local level.

Wright State’s Board of  Trustees approved the new affiliation agreement in April 2024, which replaced a previous agreement between the two organizations. Highlights of the 30-year agreement include:

• Innovations and new initiatives in health care education: Investments from Premier Health – totaling $10 million in year one and $15 million in year two—will be invested to support an increase in the class size at the Boonshoft School of Medicine, as well as training and programs to grow the nursing workforce.

• Shared board representation: Wright State and Premier Health will each appoint one member of its board leadership to serve as a nonvoting representative on the other’s governing board.

• Collaborative operations: A new Joint Operating Committee will serve as the vehicle through which strategic partnership initiatives will be developed and executed.

In December, to further accentuate the alliance, Wright State and Premier Health announced the creation of a new integrated leadership position that will serve as the dean of the Wright State Boonshoft School of Medicine and the chief academic officer of Premier Health.

Riordan adds: “A more robust affiliation with Wright State University advances our organizations’ respective missions, elevates academic medicine in the region, and will spur many initiatives that will benefit the region’s communities in exciting new ways.”

The agreement also aims to recognize Miami Valley Hospital as an academic medical center, a pertinent development, as previously, the Dayton area was the only major populated center in Ohio without a formally recognized academic medical center.

Leaders say the benefit of such an agreement is two-fold. First, an academic medical center attracts a different kind of specialist with a higher interest in research and advancement. Also, it opens access to clinical trials in Dayton, with a goal of minimizing travel to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, or Indianapolis to receive such innovative care. The burden on patients will be decreased, as they will not have to travel away from home to receive this level of care and they can be spared for additional increases in cost and stress associated with treatment.

The model is like hospital networks such as Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus and UC Health in Cincinnati. The decision to pursue the status of academic medical center for Miami Valley Hospital demonstrates an even deeper commitment to training the future workforce.

Leaders note that 75% of all Wright State students since the university’s inception in 1964 have remained in the Dayton region. The academic medical center will support this trend, as Premier will consider additional clinical programs, as well as strengthening existing programs such as advance practice nursing. The strengthened partnership will not only benefit Wright State students who are from the area and wish to stay in the region, but also drive prosperity throughout the community.

“As one of the largest employers in the region, Premier Health is providing career opportunities for our students,” Edwards said. “Our job is to support them in this mission, and at the same time provide our students with high-level experiential learning opportunities so that following graduation they are employed and remain in the region.”

The university has existing partnerships with the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Dayton Children’s Hospital, and Wright-Patterson Medical Center, which also benefit from this enhanced partnership.

The agreement will also enrich allied health programs and expand the class size of the Boonshoft School of Medicine. Also, clinical training programs will be enhanced at other Premier Health hospitals, such as Atrium Medical Center in Middletown and Upper Valley Medical Center in Miami County.

This article was originally published in the 2025 issue of the Wright State Magazine. Read more stories at wright.edu/magazine.